Cruz recently made headlines by becoming the first active boxer to come out as a homosexual. In his first fight since making his announcement, he routed Pazos over 12 rounds to win by unanimous decision.

But in an interview with Mike Lopez of PhilBoxing, Pazos said he was never truly hurt against Cruz and believes Servania can defeat him.

“I have to say that Servania hits way harder than Cruz,” Pazos said. The Mexican had lost to Servania via unanimous decision when they fought last August in a Pinoy Pride event.

When asked if he was hurt by Cruz, Pazos answered, “Never.”

Pazos also believes that Servania is a better fighter than Cruz, a former member of Puerto Rico’s Olympic team.

“(Servania) has more power and is more technical,” he explained. “The short inside punches is where Servania has power. Cruz likes to run and has now power in his punches.”

“Servania would beat him,” Pazos added.

Although he thinks Servania is the better fighter, Pazos did not hesitate to give credit to Cruz and dismissed the notion that he had trouble against the Puerto Rican because of his sexual orientation.

“No, he is a man. He has two hands and he is a boxer. Inside the ring is what matters, not outside the ring,” Pazos said.